Boston Red Sox: What would a trade package with the Dodgers look like for Mookie Betts?

With the Boston Red Sox in dire straits, newly-hired GM is looking to recoup assets for Mookie Betts. The Dodgers have emerged as a destination.

The Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads and newly-hired executive Chaim Bloom will need to prove his worth in the coming weeks. Mookie Betts is nearing the end of club control and therefore his future in Boston is severely in doubt.

When Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox geared up for the 2018 championship run, they did not show much regard for the future – or rather they underestimated future consequences of their actions. First off, in the end, they achieved their goal and won a championship, thus the ends justify the means.

However, in light of the scandalous connections of Alex Cora, one would be vindicated in inquiring upon those means, as doubt has been cast upon everything now.

Ultimately, the Red Sox have a clean slate, yet the decisions of the past may prove to be a looming apparition over seasons to come. J.D. Martinez was a sublime addition to the club, yet his hefty salary has proven to be more than an impediment recently. Dombrowski and the Boston brass, no doubt, made the fatal assumption that the slugging right-hander would opt-out of the final three seasons of his bulky contract earlier this offseason.

Martinez entered the offseason at the age of 32 and in order to opt-out he would have to defer close to $60 million in total, something that he was not guaranteed in free agency. Marcel Ozuna signed a one-year $18 million contract with Atlanta and Nicholas Castellanos four-year $64 million deal with the Reds may equate to a one year deal with an opt-out after the first season.

In order to spare you from more ceaseless rambling, we must turn our focus to Mookie Betts. The 2018 AL MVP, and most important player to the Boston Red Sox roster, might very well be heading elsewhere due to the massive sums of money already invested in the roster.

Therefore, Bloom needs to recoup some assets if a deal cannot be worked out, as losing such a vital player for what equates to a simple draft pick is a borderline fireable offense, especially when considering the volatility of general managers in Boston. Numerous, vague rumors have floated about in recent months, none with much validity.

Recently, however, the Dodgers and Padres have emerged as the suitors willing to consider, if not meet, the Red Sox asking price. Using a Betts package to rid themselves of David Price‘s contract is not something fans will want to hear, yet it might provide the Red Sox with the necessary breathing room.

Yet, if such consideration was made, the return would have to be significantly weaker. In order to exchange salary, the Red Sox would likely take on the contract of A.J. Pollock and potentially Joe Kelly. The return would also likely feature a major league arm such as Ross Stripling or Kenta Maeda, as opposed to the promising right-hander Dustin May.

Along with these two to three roster players, the Dodgers would likely include an above-average prospect, such as Jeter Downs or Kody Hoese, and another prospect, such as Jordan Sheffield. In conclusion, the Dodgers would be swapping the contracts of Price for A.J. Pollock and Joe Kelly and dealing two prospects and a roster starter for Mookie Betts.

The expectations cannot be astronomical, as this is a rental deal that includes the assuming of a burdensome contract. It would also account for the vacancy in the Red Sox outfield, bullpen, and rotation.

As unpleasant as it might seem, this is a probable course of action for the Boston Red Sox.